Thank you Patrick J. McKenna for your letter to the editor about the city’s priorities: roads and bridge construction chaos, bike lanes, train problems, mosquitoes in September and magpies. Earlier this summer I counted nine of these ugly, diseased, noisy vultures feeding on a squirrel in my backyard.

The National Post dubbed Edmonton as the “magpie” capital of Canada, yet E-town has yet to hire wardens to cull these pests.

I decided to address this issue and preserve my sanity. Long story short, I eliminated one and hanged it off my garage eavestrough, resulting in a complaint and three visits from the Edmonton Police Service. There have been no charges, but what’s next? Death penalty for trapping mice?

Terry Ternovoy, Edmonton

Park expectations for free hospital parking

We pay taxes to cover health-care costs, but we otherwise get free health care. If you go to the hospital to have emergency care, IV drug therapy or countless other medical treatments you are not presented with a bill. That is a true blessing.

But costs are constantly on the rise. There are already a huge number of “essential” medical treatments and services that are basically supported by charitable giving, and the untiring work of individuals who fund raise just to maintain these medical programs.

So, why do some talk about free parking at hospitals as if it should be a right?

I empathize with family members and close friends who want to visit their loves ones. I am a physician myself, and I sincerely believe that it is absolutely in the patients’ best interest to have visitors. But is it a part of the essential medical care that the public should pay for? No, it is not.

Ed Lazar, Edmonton

The case against new bike lanes

Re. “Top 10 reasons to spend $7.5 million on new bike lanes,” David Staples, Sept. 30

To counter David Staples’ column and explain why he is as wrong as council members and administrators who have drunk the bike lane Kool-Aid, I have a list of my own.

A minuscule number of cyclists will use the lanes on a consistent basis.

Cyclists don’t pay for road use, so they must therefore play second fiddle to the road users who pay. Too bad, so sad.

Downtown is already cool, particularly in late January and February. Enough said.

Add all the bike lanes you want, but it won’t make Edmonton safer, greener or cheaper to live in. The costs and benefits of living in Edmonton have nothing whatsoever to do with bicycles.

Al Gill, Edmonton

Time to licence bikes

We need to require licence plates on bikes to offset costs to the city. Bikes ride on roads, like vehicles. The helmet bylaw already is poorly enforced, step up city. Bike lanes for a short season makes me think the mayor is looking for youth votes, who probably don’t pay property taxes.

B. Nahayouski, Edmonton

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